You couldn't have both the fish and the bear's paw.
That was how things really were. There weren't that many ways to have the best of both worlds in this life. In the end, you had to weigh your options and choose the more advantageous one.
But...
"Do I even have a choice?" Xu Guozhong said, his head bowed as he mocked himself. He seemed almost ready to give up.
Although Xu Lanqing had said there were two paths, after taking just a couple of steps down the other one, Xu Guozhong had found an endless cliff right in front of him.
"You still do. For example, you could resist to the death right now. Tomorrow, everyone would know that you, Xu Guozhong, defied the powerful, remained loyal to your post, and swore to protect the empire's wealth with your life. Everyone would praise you, your family would enjoy wealth and honors they could never have dreamed of, and I'd be punished too."
As he spoke, Xu Lanqing walked over to Ice Empress and said with a grin, "Fame and fortune, all in one go. That's three birds with one stone."
Xu Guozhong fell silent. How could he not understand what Xu Lanqing was implying?
It was a blatant threat, the kind where you had to take everything as the opposite of what was said. Xu Guozhong certainly didn't think he could stand against him.
The truth was simply this cruel.
"I only know where the passage is. At the end of it is a door to the Underground Warehouse beneath Mingde Hall. It takes both a password and a key to open it." Xu Guozhong stated his position.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Applause rang out abruptly through the steel forest. Xu Lanqing smiled and said, "It's easy to talk to